The launch of Windows 8.1 a few weeks ago included some updates to many of the Metro apps created in-house by Microsoft. Today, the company pushed out updates to two of those apps, Xbox Music and Xbox Video, adding some new features and improvements.

The change notes for the Xbox Music app show that it can now accept the recently launched Microsoft Windows gift cards as payment. It also includes better support for when the app is used in snap mode. Additionally, Microsoft added a "now playing" list as part of the app's left-side menu. Typing when the Xbox Music app is open will now bring up the search feature with this new update. The share charm can also be used inside the app to share any web page inside Xbox Music. The patch note state the app will "look for music on it and make you a playlist." Another improvement is playback controls now always being visible from inside the app, allowing uses to pause or play a music track with just one click or tap.

The notes on the Xbox Video app page indicate that today's update brings an improvement for its layout when it displays TV shows. There's also been some updates for when the app is viewed on a high-resolution display and in portrait mode, along with unnamed "minor fixes."